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Oh, Goody: There's a Way to Make Eating Alone Even More Embarrassing

We're in favor of dining alone once in a while, but there's no denying that at least on certain occasions, it can feel a little out of place. And, sure, you can bring a book or your laptop or a newspaper to keep you occupied so you don't feel so weird sitting there talking to no one. But why do that when you can do something totally weird that draws even more attention to the fact that you're alone, right?

Um, right, I guess. Enter this restaurant in Japan that has a new solution: At Moomin Cafe in Tokyo, they offer customers the option to dine with a giant stuffed animal (a Moomin, natch.)

Here are a few examples from diners who posted a picture of the experience on Instagram using #moomincafe:

Welllllllll those stuffed animals are cuter than some of the guys I've gone out with, and they'd probably be up for more cuddling. And this entire restaurant is themed around the Moomins, stars of a Finnish picture book series, so it seems like the point is more to interact with the adorable creatures rather than make people feel bad about eating alone. I'll probably stick to my usual trick of dining at the bar when I want to eat alone rather than taking my Ryan Gosling body pillow out for a burger, but this made me laugh.

What's your security blanket when dining alone? Do you not need one? Or do you just never do it?